R.O.I. will be my why going forward

I love to help; I really do. I'm generally volunteering for something or another (over a quarter century, from being on the helpline for our states home educators network to the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). But as I get older, I've become less energetic, while at the same time I still want to try out new and different interests (such as surface pattern design) or get back to old hobbies (such as playing the ukelele), I don't have time to do it all.

Even worse sometimes, the help I offer is wholly unappreciated. It's not like I seek out glory or monetary compensation, but just knowing there's a bit of gratitude for the time I put into something would be nice. Twice in the past month, I have put much effort into a couple of things with zero acknowledgement. And this was a busy month with lots of vegetable processing, book deadlines, and taking classes.

The veggies, book deadlines, and classes are a great return on my time invested. The other 2 things, not at all.

So, henceforth, I will give up volunteering for pretty much everything.

The exception? Being a writing mentor. I have mentored three people so far and they have been really rewarding experiences. I genuinely care about the careers of the writers I coached. So, I will, as time permits, continue to mentor.

Do you find yourself saying yes to too many things that aren't giving you anything in return?